“Our regatta is always one of the biggest in the state and we’re looking forward to hosting plenty of young, enthusiastic rowers as well as plenty of older rowers on Saturday,” he said.

“Around 800 rowers will come down here, so it’s going to be a big day.”

Mr Christian said all of the legalities and necessities were sorted out, so now club members could focus solely on the competition.

“We needed to sort out the river closure, as well as all the other permissions, so now it’s just focussing on the task at hand,” he said.

Because many of the other clubs that are coming down are from schools with strong rowing programs and teams, we’re looking to be competitive and to learn lessons from some of these big teams.

Craig Christian

Being a small group compared to many of the other clubs who would visit on the weekend, Mr Christian said the club wasn’t completely concerned with results.

“Because many of the other clubs that are coming down are from schools with strong rowing programs and teams, we’re looking to be competitive and to learn lessons from some of these big teams,” he said.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, it is set to reach 36 degrees on Saturday, making it one of the hottest days so far this Spring.

“It’s looking like it’s going to be hot, so I’m sure every club will be preparing for that properly,” he said.

“We moved our regatta from February to get away from the 40 degree heats, but we can’t control what happens so hopefully everyone is on the same page.”

The regatta’s first race gets underway at 8.30am, and watchers can sit on the banks of the River Murray to watch some of the state’s best rowers, Mr Christian said.

“Rowing is a really family and community-oriented sport, and we’d really encourage as many people to get out to watch and support the region’s rowers,” he said.

Mr Christian said the sport would hopefully be growing in the region with the expansion of a new complex.

“Hopefully if people get out and watch the regatta, and enjoy it, they might be encouraged to join up,” he said.